Date: August 8, 2010

Instructor: Julie Luton

Grade Level: 11th Grade-United States History

Lesson: Online Collaboration Blogs

Objective: Students will create online class blogs to support Unit Lesson-WW I
Students will apply absolute and relative chronology through the
sequencing of significant events.
Students will identify events that led U.S. Entry into WW I.
Students will identify event that led U.S. entry into the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan


Content Standards: Power, Authority, and Governance

ISTE NETS-S: Communication and Collaboration

Teaching students to create online collaboration tool will help to support authentic lessons and enhance students learning of the topic. According to Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer digital technologies serve as powerful portals for students to examine and follow their own interests within the social studies classroom as consumers of information and data (p.294).

The first step is to review the previous problem based learning lesson. Students will use the KWL charts and map organizer to review information from the unit lesson on World War I and notes on United States involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The next step I distribute a list of websites on how to create blogs and rubric to the class. I will review the websites and the rubric with the students as a whole. After the review, the students will break-up into their assigned groups to begin constructing their group blogs.

Each group will post the chronological events that led to United States involvement in World War I and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The groups will describe the effects on the world with U S involvement. What ways would the world be different without United States involvement in these wars? Would there be more terrorist attacks around the world, or here in this country? Also, do you agree with the decisions to go to war in each instance? If not what are some alternatives you would have proposed? These questions can support creative thinking. The students with different learning abilities will receive assistance through teacher monitoring and feedback to redirect students.


The groups will be assessed on how well they understand why the United States was involved in WW I and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the creativeness of their blogs. I will manage each group posting through feedback on their group blogs, monitoring each group and group conferences.

Reference
Cennamo, K., Ross, J & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning